2014 TECHNOLOGY TODAY LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com September 30, 2014 page 21
The ups and downs of computing in the cloud
Internet Technology:
C
loud computing is a confusing
term. It has nothing to do
with the weather and is really a
nickname rather than a formal
term. Cloud computing actually
refers to any activity that we do
on the internet. However, many
internet activities do not refer
to themselves as being Cloud
activities, thus contributing to the
confusion.
Browsing the internet is actually
a cloud activity. The information
is stored up there on the internet
somewhere, hidden from your
view on some file server located
somewhere on the planet. None
of the information or screens or
processes that you access when you
are doing usual browsing exist in
your home or office. We say that
information and website layout
lives in the clouds, hidden from
your view.
Email is also a cloud activity. The
email travels from one part of the
globe to another via the internet
and ends up on your email service’s
server in another place. And you
access your email either with an
email program, which downloads
your email from the cloud, or with
a cloud-based webmail program
like Gmail or Hotmail, that allows
you to read your messages and
reply.
Both email and browsing are cloud
activities, but we do not usually
refer to them as being part of the
cloud.
The term cloud refers to services
that companies provide that you
connect to over the internet.
These
companies want to market THE
CLOUD to you and make money.
There are four categories of cloud
services that are being marketed:
1
. Cloud based storage
This refers to a location on a
computer located elsewhere
that you can connect to over the
internet and save your document
and picture files. Your access
is protected by username and
password. Usually cloud based
storage companies will allow you a
small amount of storage for free
as a leader and will charge for
additional amounts of storage.
Upside:
Since the storage is in
the clouds, you can get to it from
anywhere that you have an internet
connection. The items you place
in your storage can be shared with
others who you have given your
username and password.
Downside:
Since it is on the
internet, it is possible that someone
can hack into your account and
access your documents and
pictures. Therefore, it is not secure
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